Todays Woman Vs. Yesterdays

Today's Woman Vs. Yesterday's

Women of today have come a long way since the periods portrayed in the dramas "Trifles,"
written by Susan Glaspell, and "Doll House," written by Henrik Ibsen. In both dramas, the characters
played by women were portrayed as nothing more than property which should be seen and not heard. This
is typical of society in the late 1800's and early 1900's, which is the time setting in which these dramas take
place.
In the drama "Trifles," the male characters known as Henry Peters (sheriff) and George Henderson
(county attorney) strut around like roosters making lewd, sexist remarks while investigating the murder of
farmer John Wright. The two farm women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, while forced to listen to such
barbaric comments, actually end up solving the murder. Throughout the drama, the male characters are
made to walk around the farm house looking for clues. Unfortunately, they do this from a male's point of
view and are completely oblivious to the unseen environment around them.
During this time, the two ladies sit silently conversing between themselves about the tragedy, and
actually find clues to the hows and whys of the suspect without really looking. The female characters in
this drama are written to be very perceptive and understanding about what happens in everyday life in a
country home, since they too are country homemakers. With this information, which the men do not share,
they notice small insignificant looking i...

Todays Woman Vs. Yesterdays

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